Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Bay County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
171 well testing events on record, covering
21 analytes.
Data spans 1955 to 2025.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. FL Avg
Iron
121
1955–2025
93%
80% of limit
↓ 60% below
Arsenic
36
2017–2025
100%
1% of limit
↓ 91% below
Manganese
61
1955–2025
90%
6% of limit
↓ 77% below
Sulfate
135
1955–2025
99%
4% of limit
↓ 85% below
Chloride
135
1955–2025
100%
6% of limit
↓ 88% below
Fluoride
135
1955–2025
99%
5% of limit
↓ 30% below
HFPO-DA (GenX)
municipal
36
2023–2025
0%
—
—
Nitrite
6
1972–1973
100%
1% of limit
↓ 44% below
PFNA
municipal
36
2023–2025
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
36
2023–2025
0%
—
—
Lead
36
2017–2025
100%
1% of limit
↓ 58% below
Nitrate
96
1955–1973
100%
0% of limit
↓ 93% below
PFHxS
municipal
36
2023–2025
0%
—
—
PFOS
municipal
36
2023–2025
0%
—
—
Sodium
135
1955–2025
100%
—
↓ 84% below
pH
139
1955–2025
100%
—
~ typical
E. coli
19
2021–2025
100%
—
~ typical
Fecal Coliform
15
2017–2021
100%
—
~ typical
PFBS
municipal
36
2023–2025
0%
—
—
Hardness
98
1955–1973
100%
—
↓ 35% below
Total Coliform
34
2017–2025
100%
—
~ typical
Distribution shows the share of samples in each concentration band relative to the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): Low = below half the MCL, Moderate = between half and the MCL, High = above the MCL. Analytes without an MCL (e.g. sodium, pH) show — in the limit columns. State average is based on county median values across FL.
Compare your result with Bay County
Of the 36 arsenic tests on record for Bay County (2017–2025),
0% found none, and half were below 0.115 µg/L.
Of the 135 chloride tests on record for Bay County (1955–2025),
0% found none, and half were below 15 mg/L.
Of the 135 fluoride tests on record for Bay County (1955–2025),
1% found none, and half were below 200 µg/L.
Of the 121 iron tests on record for Bay County (1955–2025),
7% found none, and half were below 190 µg/L.
Of the 36 lead tests on record for Bay County (2017–2025),
0% found none, and half were below 0.2 µg/L.
Of the 61 manganese tests on record for Bay County (1955–2025),
10% found none, and half were below 2.6 µg/L.
Of the 96 nitrate tests on record for Bay County (1955–1973),
0% found none, and half were below 23 µg/L.
Of the 135 sulfate tests on record for Bay County (1955–2025),
1% found none, and half were below 9.6 mg/L.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Iron 121 samples
Arsenic 36 samples
Manganese 61 samples
Sulfate 135 samples
Chloride 135 samples
Fluoride 135 samples
Lead 36 samples
Nitrate 96 samples
Sodium 135 samples
pH 139 samples
E. coli 19 samples
Fecal Coliform 15 samples
Hardness 98 samples
Total Coliform 34 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
Nitrite 6 samples
No private-well PFAS data for Bay County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Bay County.
PFAS testing for private wells requires a dedicated lab panel (~$300–$500). If you are near a military base, airport, or industrial site, consider testing proactively. Learn more about PFAS →
Public vs. Private Water in Bay County
36Active public water systems
207,110Residents on public water
13%Households on private wells
Public water systems in Bay County are regulated by the EPA and must test and report contaminant levels. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing — there is no routine monitoring of private wells by any government agency.
CDC Health Outcome Correlations
Where contaminants detected in Bay County have established associations with specific health outcomes, we cross-reference CDC PLACES county-level prevalence data. This is a contextual signal, not a causal claim.
This report aggregates data from the following public databases:
Water Quality Portal (WQP) — groundwater sample results for Bay County from EPA, USGS, and state agencies. Browse WQP data →
EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — public water system inventory used to estimate the share of residents on private wells. Browse SDWIS →
Census ACS 5-Year Estimates — well and cistern household counts (variable DP04_0074E) used to calculate the private-well percentage for Bay County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Bay County, which informs which contaminants are geologically likely. USGS Aquifer Atlas →
EPA UCMR 5 (2023–2025) — PFAS occurrence data from public water systems, used as a proxy indicator for aquifer PFAS exposure. Rows marked "municipal" in the table above come from this source. About UCMR 5 →
EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) — industrial facility chemical releases near Bay County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Bay County, used in contamination risk scoring. Superfund site search →
CDC PLACES — county-level health outcome prevalence (kidney disease, cancer, heart disease) correlated with detected contaminants. About CDC PLACES →
Methodology
Raw records are downloaded from the Water Quality Portal and normalized to µg/L (ppb). Records are deduplicated by sample ID and date, and certified outliers are excluded. Analyte names are mapped to EPA canonical forms. Detection rates, distribution bands, and MCL comparisons are computed from the normalized dataset.
Distribution bands use the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level as the threshold: concentrations below 50% of the MCL are classed as Low, between 50% and 100% as Moderate, and above 100% as High. For analytes without an MCL (sodium, hardness, pH), distribution is not computed.
State comparison uses the median of county median values across all counties in FL with at least one sample for that analyte.